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Involvement is the Key to an Informed Decision | June 15, 2008
Another Campaign season is coming to a close and on Tuesday, June 17, Village residents will be asked to select two of the Trustee Candidates when casting their vote. As I have been talking to people over the course of the last couple of weeks, I have been somewhat dismayed to discover the collective lack of Board Of Trustee knowledge that exists among too many residents in this community. The unfortunate fact is that during 10 months of the year many people “tune out” of Village government. The Board meetings are attended by the same small group of residents and everyone else either relies on what they hear in various conversations or they remain blissfully unaware altogether. Then, when election time arrives each June, The Village is a-buzz with parties and mailings and gossip. Based on the information obtained from these sources, residents then cast their votes and officials are elected.
As a life-long Village resident who has chosen to raise my family here, I have recently become actively interested in Village Government. I can assure other residents first hand that they should not believe everything they hear. The only way to really understand what the issues are and how they are being handled is to take time out and attend a monthly meeting. Not only will this result in a better understanding of what is going on, but it will also provide residents with first hand knowledge of how the Board members interact with one another and what effect that dynamic has on the process of governing our Village. Most importantly, it will allow people to draw their own, first hand conclusions rather than to rely on what they hear from others or what arrives in the mailbox.
After June 17, the election will be over and the Board Of Trustees will continue on to face many important issues that will affect all of us as residents. I would like to take this opportunity to strongly urge everyone to take some time out and attend one or two of the monthly meetings in the coming year. If you are unable to do this, please read my monthly meeting summaries on TPFYI, which are unbiased and fact-based. This way, when next June rolls around, everyone will be more informed and all the name-calling and sympathy voting will have less merit.
-Meg Vaught
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